FAQs

• What sort of development work does Compassion do?

  Compassion’s holistic child development model is designed to help the most vulnerable and marginalised children on our planet grow up to become thriving followers of Jesus who are positively influencing their world. Poverty is complex and has a devastating impact on every area of life. Compassion seeks to address the different dimensions of a child's development simultaneously, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all solution. Holistic child development takes an individual child through a process of growth and fulfilment in all dimensions by seeking to address their physical, social, emotional, spiritual and economic needs. It sees each aspect of a person in an integrated way and resists the common practice of treating one area of life as independent of the others.

  Therefore, our programs are tailored to meet the specific needs of individual children through all stages of their development. Compassion sees holistic child development as a contextualised, long-term approach that begins before a child is born and continues through to school age and beyond. Our Child Sponsorship Program and Critical Needs work in partnership to provide holistic development to children living in poverty.

  Find out more about:

  • Our Child Sponsorship Program

  • Critical Needs

  • How Critical Needs works with Child Sponsorship

• What is child sponsorship?

  Through our Child Sponsorship Program, more than 2 million children are currently being released from poverty in Jesus’ name. Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program doesn’t just address a child’s physical needs, but looks at the holistic development of their social, emotional and spiritual needs as well. The sponsorship program is delivered to registered children through their local church, who are best placed to understand the unique needs and cultural context of their communities. One child is connected with one sponsor who can provide life-changing support, encouragement and hope. Sponsors can write letters to their sponsored children and will receive regular letters from their child and updates from the field. Sponsors can also elect to give additional financial child or family gifts to assist with their greatest need.

  Find out more:

  How much does it cost to sponsor a child with Compassion Australia?

  What exactly does my sponsored child receive?

  Sponsor a child

• What exactly does my sponsored child receive?

  Every child is special and uniquely made by God. Poverty looks different, but the goal for each sponsored child stays the same: good health, good skills, good relationships—and the opportunity to hear the Good News.

  Your generous sponsorship contribution each month helps supply resources to your sponsored child’s local church partner and provide a range of benefits to the children who are registered at that child development centre, including:

  • The opportunity to hear the gospel in a culturally relevant way
  • Learning opportunities, school supplies and assistance with school fees as needed
  • Health care such as medical check-ups, dental care and vaccinations
  • Nutritious meals as required
  • Key life skills and vocational training programs
  • Individualised care and attention

  Importantly, your sponsored child also benefits from developing a one-to-one relationship with you as their sponsor through letters, community updates, prayer and financial gifts. This personal friendship between you and your sponsored child is a source of hope and encouragement to the child and their family. Knowing there is someone in another part of the world that knows, loves and cares for them is a very special part of the sponsorship journey for a child living in poverty.

  You can:

  Give your sponsored child a gift

  Write a letter

  Contact us

• How do you know sponsorship works?

  Compassion has been involved in individual child development for 70 years. Independent research published in the Journal of Political Economy in 2013 found that graduates of Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program stayed in school longer, were more likely to have salaries and white-collar employment, and were more likely to be leaders in their communities and churches than their peers who did not participate in the program.

  This research studied 1,860 children who participated in Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program between 1980 and 1992.

  Once Compassion sponsored children, these adults are now making a difference in their communities as mums, dads, pastors, teachers, doctors and even members of parliament.

  You can:

  • Sponsor a child
  • Learn more about the research
• What is the role of church partners in the countries Compassion works in?

  We partner with local churches to fulfil our mission of releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name. Our partnership is based on mutual respect, common goals and a belief in the Church as God's chosen instrument for His work in seeking justice for children living in poverty. Every child development centre is an outreach of one of these churches, and church staff and volunteers provide the children with non-coercive, age- and culture-appropriate Christian teaching and church-run activities.

  The role of our church partners involves:

  • Maintaining complete, accurate and current information on each registered child in their care

  • Providing information on the program and operations of the partnership to Compassion

  • Providing regular reports to the Compassion national office in their country

  • Assessing all registered children's progress against child development outcomes

  • Working towards a planned and successful completion of every registered child's participation in the program

  • Ensuring all registered children have at least one adult staff member or volunteer who personally knows them, interacts with them and helps them to grow and develop through the ministry of the child development centre

  You can:

  Sponsor a child

  Make a donation

  Write a letter